Related resources for this article

Introduction

Steve Evans

Like other things people wear, hats and caps have two purposes—protection and ornament. They have also been worn since very early times to show the rank or importance of the wearer. This type of headwear is seen today in the hats and caps worn by soldiers and sailors, in the bishop’s mitre, the cardinal’s scarlet hat, the priest’s biretta, and the scholar’s mortarboard.

The ancestor of all hats was probably the fillet. This was a…

Men’s Hats Since the Renaissance

Women’s Headwear Since the Middle Ages

Hatmaking

It’s here: the NEW Britannica Kids website!

We’ve been busy, working hard to bring you new features and an updated design. We hope you and your family enjoy the NEW Britannica Kids. Take a minute to check out all the enhancements!

The same safe and trusted content for explorers of all ages.

Accessible across all of today's devices: phones, tablets, and desktops.

Improved homework resources designed to support a variety of curriculum subjects and standards.

A new, third level of content, designed specially to meet the advanced needs of the sophisticated scholar.

Want to see it in action?

Start a free trial

E-mail

To

From

Sender NamePlease enter your name.

Sender EmailPlease enter a valid email address.

Translate this page

Choose a language from the menu above to view a computer-translated version of this page. Please note: Text within images is not translated, some features may not work properly after translation, and the translation may not accurately convey the intended meaning. Britannica does not review the converted text.

After translating an article, all tools except font up/font down will be disabled. To re-enable the tools or to convert back to English, click "view original" on the Google Translate toolbar.